Kovacevic: Beautiful timing for Bengals

Oct 18, 2017 • 2:10 am

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It can't be coincidence that the Steelers have performed to their peak this season only in Baltimore and Kansas City. One's their archrival, and the other might as well be.

So yeah, bring on the Bengals.

They're 2-3, no one's taking them too seriously, Andy Dalton nearly lost his job midway through September, the offensive coordinator did lose his job after what Pro Football Talk described as a "near mutiny" in the locker room, Marvin Lewis will never lose his job ... and yet they're still kind of hanging around.

That ought to be enough for the home team to properly focus Sunday at Heinz Field, but if it isn't, let's recall in unison that Vontaze Burfict loves nothing more in football than a chance to injure an opponent.

Mike Tomlin was asked Tuesday if he plans to address any Burfict awareness with his men.

"No," Tomlin replied. "They know who he is."

No warning at all?

"I don’t think it’s necessary. I think anybody who’s played for us understands it, understands the nature of it. Those who don’t will be educated by you guys."

Feel the love!

In case anyone does need a reminder of how Burfict is, allow me, please, to dispense with all the usual footage of him tearing up Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell and instead replay this astonishing scene from the teams' most recent meeting, a week before this past Christmas in Cincinnati:

That actually happened. That was David DeCastro, obviously pulling to his left, equally obviously knowing full well his block target was No. 55, equally obviously not caring in the slightest if he'd put his health in jeopardy so long as it meant Bell wouldn't be undercut again.

“Yeah. Yeah, I knew exactly who’d be there," DeCastro would tell me that day. "We’d run that a couple times against him. Yeah, we both hit each other pretty good.”

So I brought it up again this weekend in Kansas City.

"Those guys ... oh, man," DeCastro came back about the Bengals. "We'll have no problem having our heads screwed on straight for that one, believe me."

So to speak.

• There was a fascinating answer from Tomlin when asked Tuesday about his relationship with James Harrison, one that caught some spotlight in Kansas City after their animated talk following Harrison's big sack.

Seriously, take it all the way through: "I don’t know. Sometimes I talk in great detail and provide great clarity. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes it’s haphazard. Sometimes it’s very thoughtful. James has been around me long enough to know that I’m capable of those things. James knows that I’m going to put the interest of this group above anything else in terms of how we prepare and who we utilize and how we utilize them. He’s a competitor. He wants to be a central reason as to why we’re successful. I know that. I also know that he’s a great team player. He always has been. It’s not written and talked about enough. You guys like to write and talk about workouts and things of that nature, silliness. This guy is an awesome, selfless team player. Those guys who are around him notice those things. We’ve just been together for 11 years or so. Not a lot of conversations need to be had. I think we just understand those things."

I was going to give a shot at interpreting that. Feels a lot fairer to just let it stand.

• Ian Cole resumes eating solid foods, returns to the Penguins' lineup. God bless hockey.

• Phil Kessel is my new Adam LaRoche.

Allow me to explain, please.

LaRoche used to struggle hugely in the first two months of every season with the Pirates, batting around .180, striking out every other at-bat and looking awful in the process. And I'd walk up to him after some of those games and not even need to ask the question before getting the obligatory eyeroll and an exchange along these lines:

Me: "So, feeling like you'll snap out of it soon?"

LaRoche: "DK, how many times do we have to go over this?"

Me: "Um, one more time?"

LaRoche: "What did I hit last year?"

Me: ".280, 25 bombs, 80 RBIs."

LaRoche: "What did I hit the year before that?"

Me: ".280, 25 bombs, 80 RBIs."

LaRoche: "What am I going to hit this year?"

Me: "OK, OK."

And of course, he had pretty much the same line. Because water tends to find its level, regardless of where that level is. That's how Alex Smith bombs against the Steelers after a 123.8 passer rating through five weeks.

That's Phil, too. His slumps aren't attractive. He looks lost, even disinterested, and then he rips one by Henrik Lundqvist, sets up Evgeni Malkin's OT winner, and, hey, he's right on pace to be where he always ends up.

Never, ever fuss over Phil.

• Speaking (somewhat) of baseball: Tony Watson's pitched three scoreless appearances for the Dodgers in this National League Championship Series, retiring all six Cubs he's faced, including Ian Happ to close out the seventh inning Tuesday night. Good things happen to good people. Watson is great people. Get that man a ring.

WHAT’S BREWING

• Thanks so much to everyone at Point Park University, specifically the school’s Center for Sports Media and Marketing, for the invitation and the amazing attendance, reception and questions from the students on hand. Also to everyone kind enough to come up and introduce themselves afterward. What a wonderful experience.

If anyone's interested, my wife Dali videotaped some of this. Maybe we could make a Daily Fun Thing out of it.

• Thanks also to everyone who listened and called during my three-hour radio show on 105.9 the X yesterday. Here are three podcasts from the session.

• Penn State fans: Audrey Snyder’s got Midweek Reader today. You’re in for a long-form treat.

STEELERS TODAY

• Event: Practice

• Location: Rooney Sports Complex

• Time: 1:15-3:15 p.m.

• Early media availability: 9:30-10 a.m.

• Our coverage: Mark Kaboly

PENGUINS TODAY

• Event: Off-ice practice

• Location: Sunrise, Fla.

• Time: No time announced

• Our coverage: No access